Surprise Thanksgiving Guests With This Quirky Take on the Meat and Cheese Platter

A new book encourages home cooks to consider creative ways of presenting food beyond the standard serving trays.

Pinch Food Design is a New York catering company known for its inventive hors d'oeuvres ideas and quirky interactive food displays. Recently, Pinch came out with its first book, Inspired Bites: Unexpected Ideas for Entertaining from Pinch Food Design ($35, Abrams), which aims to get party hosts thinking creatively about how they present food at home.

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While some of the ideas are definitely out there—desserts served on a floating tray held aloft by balloons, flatbreads hanging from S-hooks attached to a DIY copper pipe frame—we love the creativity and the idea that there is no "right" way to serve an hors d'oeuvre. In addition to recipes, the book includes DIY projects in each chapter explaining how to re-create some of Pinch's signature serving and presentation pieces by reusing and adapting simple household items.

One of the items they use is the common clipboard. "We are constantly searching for a replacement for the plate or cocktail napkin to hold food at a stand-up cocktail party," write co-owners TJ Girard and Bob Spiegel of their inspiration to use clipboards as a way to serve pre-portioned charcuterie. "Using a clipboard to hold the [parchment] paper that holds the food was the perfect marriage of form and function—plus it's funny." Adding cork to the bottom of each clipboard also means guests can easily rest their clipboards on top of their wine glasses while moving around the party.

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Feel like shaking things up at your Thanksgiving dinner this year and giving guests something to talk about? Here's the recipe for Pinch Food Design's unique take on the meat and cheese platter:

-In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar has completely dissolved.

-In a large, nonreactive bowl (stainless steel, glass, or ceramic), toss the vegetables and garlic together, then pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables.

-Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 2 weeks. (If storing for longer than 24 hours, you can refrigerator-pickle the vegetables: divide them between two 1-quart Mason jars and pour 1 cup of the vinegar mixture over each.)

-Strain the vegetables from the pickling liquid before serving.

Assemble the dish:

-Snap twelve pieces of parchment paper onto twelve clipboards.

-Arrange the meats and cheeses on the parchment paper.

-Layer a slice of bread across one of the charcuterie slices so it "sticks" to the meat and doesn't fall off the board.

-Serve with pickles on the side.

*The Italian pickles can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

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